Photo by Geauga Park District
Bill Sledzik of Rootstown started fishing when he was a 6-year-old living in rural Western Pennsylvania. “We tied a string to a stick, put a hook on it and caught panfish,” recalls the retired Kent State University college professor. While his dad wasn’t really into angling, Sledzik was hooked and went on to fish on a regular basis.
He shared that love with his sons and is now passing it on to his two grandsons, Jake (8) and Ben (6).
With two generations of fishing instruction under his belt, he knows to limit expectations when fishing with young ones. “There’s fishing and there’s fishing with kids,” he says, “and they’re not in any way similar.”
Equipment, for starters, must be simple and minimize the chance for tangling lines. The youngest anglers need the smallest rods until they get the hang of casting.
Live bait — like worms or maggots — works best to target panfish like bluegill, pumpkinseed or crappie. “They school and they’re easy to catch. You need that because, if you don’t have success pretty quickly, kids are going to lose interest. The hardest part is to keep their focus,” Sledzik says.
Sometimes, even the best-laid plans don’t always work.
“No matter the weather, I know that, at some point, Ben is going to end up in the water,” he laughs. Hence, the importance of realistic expectations.
Fish Wishes
Paul Pira, biologist with Geauga Park District, agrees that panfish should be the goal.
“For these fish, my advice is to keep it small – hooks sizes 6, 8, or 10, small split-shot, small bobbers – and simple rigs,” he says. Simple rigs mean just a hook, split-shot weight, bobber and spin casting gear.
“As far as bait, it is hard to beat small red worms (not nightcrawlers) and/or maggots/mealworms.”
Small ponds are great for this type of fishing. Most county park systems offer free fishing spots. Watch their online activity calendars to find fishing lessons.
Paul says the main point is to “Keep it simple, and the kids should have a good time.”
Paris Wolfe watched her sons bond with their grandpa over fishing. In their 20s, the boys still fish with grandpa.
Something’s Fishy
Keep It Legal
Kids ages 15 and under do not need a fishing license to fish in Ohio. Kids ages 16 and older are required to have a fishing license. An adult without a fishing license may assist a youth that is fishing, but if an adult also wants to fish, he or she needs an Ohio fishing license. Licenses may be purchased online or at a hunting and fishing license agent location. Learn more about fishing license requirements in Ohio at ohiodnr.gov.
Keep It Alive
There’s nothing like eating a freshly caught fish. But if you don’t want the hassle of cleaning your grandchild’s catch – or you’re not sure how – catch-and-release is an important conservation tool. Here are a few things to remember if you want to release your fish back into a stream or river:
- Use barbless hooks; crimp or file barbs on conventional hooks. Hooks without barbs can decrease handling time and tissue damage while generally resulting in similar hook-up and landing rates as hooks with barbs.
- Use circle hooks when fishing with live or cut bait.
- Use single hooks; consider replacing treble hooks with single hooks on artificial lures.
- Use artificial lures when possible and practical. Natural baits are commonly ingested more deeply than artificial lures, resulting in longer hook removal time and consequently greater air exposure.
And a few more things…
- Limit “playing” or reeling a fish in and out to a minimum by using appropriately rated angling gear for the size of fish targeted.
- Watch the water. High water temperatures can mean an increased risk of post-release mortality. Air exposure during extreme cold can cause tissue damage to the gills and eyes.
- Wet your hands before holding a fish. Hold the fish horizontally to reduce damage to internal organs and the skeleton.
- If you must use a net, use one made with knotless nylon or rubber net materials.
Coarse, abrasive and knotted net materials will remove the important slime coat that aids in protecting the fish from outside infections.
- Minimize air exposure. Keep release tools, camera and fishing gear readily accessible.
- Leave deeply embedded hooks in fish and cut line as close as possible to the hook’s eyelet. Removing deeply embedded hooks increases handling time, air exposure and tissue damage. Most hooks will deteriorate rapidly and pass through the fish.
- Bring hook removal tools including pliers, bolt cutters, forceps, etc. Tools decrease the time required to remove a hook from the fish and subsequently decreases the handling time and air exposure.
- Revive a fish you want to release by holding it steady and upright or gently move in an ‘S’ or Figure 8 pattern in the water; do not move fish in a back-and-forth motion.
Just Keep It
The following are daily limits and minimum sizes (if any) for common fish:
- Largemouth, Smallmouth, & Spotted Bass: Five total of each or combined, 12 inches minimum.
- Striped, Hybrid-striped, & White Bass: 30 total, no more than four over 15 inches.
- Trout (all species): five total of each or combined. No size minimum.
- Yellow Perch: 30 total, no size minimum.
Source: Ohio Department of Natural Resources
